Window well cover



July 31, 1962 F. J. SMITH WINDOW WELL COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1960 Fi'ancis J Smith INVENTOR.

BY yaw/g 5% July 31, 1962 F. J. SMITH wmnow WELL COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1960 Hunt/3' J Smith INVENTOR.

1 BY @wm WWW fiM United States Patent ()fi ice Patented July 31,1962

3,046,613 1 WINDOW WELL COVER Francis J. Smith, 920 S. 72nd St., Omaha, Nebr. Filed Jan. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 1,268 '7 Claims. (Cl. 20-1) This invention comprises a novel and useful window well cover and more particularly relates to an attachment for use with window wells in order to afford protection for the well itself while providing for adequate illumination and/ or ventilation therefor.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a Window well construction which may be quickly and easily installed on all varieties and constructions of window wells for the purpose of providing a cover and protection for the well itself while enabling effective illumination and/or ventilation to be supplied for the well.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a construction in accordance with the preceding object which shall be of such construction that it may be readily applied to any desired type of window well with ease by unskilled labor as for example, by householders of the do-it-yourself variety.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a window well protective cover in accordance with the foregoing objects which shall be of a strong, durable construction, well adapted to prevent insects or other pests from securing access into the Window well, and capable of functioning as a storm window to protect the well from being flooded during storms as by water pouring thereinto from the roof of the building.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a window well'protective cover construction in accordance with the preceding objects which shall be of attractive appearance, highly effective for the purposes intended, and shall be capable of being compactly stored in a flat package to facilitate storage, transportation and dispensing of the same.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing one suitable embodiment of the window Well cover in accordance with this invention shown applied to a building having a window well;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged scale vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing the manner in which the protective well cover is associated with the building and with the window well retaining wall;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view in horizontal section sh wing the manner in which one end of the wall of the window well cover is secured to the wall of the building;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view vertical section of a slightly modified form of the construction shown in FIG- URE 2 and in which a screening is disposed adjacent the perforated wall of the well for rendering the Window well enclosure insectproof;

FIGURE 5 is a View similar to FIGURE but showing a still further modified construction in which a fiberglass or transparent plastic member is disposed adjacent an expanded, reticulated or foram-inous metal wall component of the device; a

FIGURE 6 is a further modified construction similar to FIGURES 4 and 5 but illustrating the manner in which an adapter member of plastic material may be secured to the window well retaining wall below the surface of the ground for providing a connection with the window well cover extending above the ground; and p FIGURE 7 is a further detail view of a still further modified anchoring means by which the lower edge of the window well cover may be secured to a masonry retaining wall within the window well.

Many homes and other buildings are today provided with window wells for the purpose of affording access .to and light and illumination for basement windows located below the surface of the ground. Such wells are of various constructions and may consist of a retaining wall comprised of a semi-cylindrical or other shape of metal sheet embedded in the ground and retaining the earth away from the window of the building, although inother instances masonry walls are likewise'frequently provided for this purpose. The presence of the window well although desirable for the above mentioned reasons constitutes a potential source of danger in that it permits the access of insects or other pests to the interior of the well and thus to the window opening, or traps them in the Well so that they cannot escape. Further, thereis the danger of pets and children falling into these wells if the same are not covered, while in times of heavy rains and the like the wells frequently constitute a means for flooding the interior of the basement of the associated building.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a window well protective cover construction which may be readily applied to window wells of all characters and overcome all of the abovementioned objections.

Referring first to the embodiment of the apparatus as illustrated inFIGURES l and 2 it will be seen that'the wall 10 of a building hasa basement window v12 disposed in a window opening 14 with a window well 16 extending from the surface of the ground 18 downwardly to and about the window opening, this well being customarily provided with a bed of gravel 20 or the like in the bottom thereof and having a retaining wall 22 by which the earth is kept from falling into the well andwhich functions to prevent subsurface water draining into the well and thus through the wall 10 of the building.

In example illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, it will be understood that the retaining wall 22 consists of the usual semi-cylindrical metal sheet whose opposite ends abut against and/ or are secured to the building wall 10 in any suitable manner. Usually the upper, end of the sheet extends above the ground level 18 and is rolled over or provided with a peripheral flange or head as at 24.

In the arrangement of FIGURES 1 and 2 there is provided a window well protective enclosure designated generally by. the numeral 30 and which consists of a side wall 32 together with a cover 34. The side wall will, of course, be given the contour or configuration of retaining wall 22 and the lower edge of the side wall has a marginal or flanged portion as at 36 which is preferably angulated and is detachably secured to the inside of the upper end of the retaining wall 22 as by fastening bolts 38 extending through apertures drilled through the retaining wall and through the flange 36. At its opposite ends, as suggested in FIGURE 3, the wall 32 of the window well enclosure 30 is provided with inturned flanges 40 which are secured as by bolts 42 to the masonry wall 10 of the dwelling.

It will be observed that the side wall 32, regardless of its contour, will be flared slightly upwardly and outwardly from its lower end to its upper edge so that the upper rim of the same will laterally overhang and thereby cover and protect the rim 24 of the retaining wall 22. The cover 34 is inclined downwardly from its connection and fall into the Well itself. a

Preferably the cover 34 is of a transclucent or transparent plastic material such as fiberglass or other suitable materials so as to afford to any desired extent the transmission of light into the Well as well as to provide a protective cover for the same and an ornamental and attractive appearance to the entire construction;

At its upper edge, the cover 34 is provided with an embracing metallic reinforcing rim 44 which is C-shaped in cross section and which is received in a channel member 46 carried by a bracket 48 which is secured as by bolts 50 to the wall 10. Thus, there is provided a piano type of hinge whereby the entire cover 34 may be raised or lowered as desired.

By virtue of the periphery of the cover overlying the upper edge of the side wall 32 of the window well enclosure, the cover serves to protect the ingress of rain through the ventilating openings in this side wall. In turn, the side wall by reason of its upwardly and outwardly flaring contour overhangs and projects laterally beyond the rim 24 of the window well retaining wall 22 further preventing rain being blown into the well.

In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 it is preferred that the side wall 32 shall be of a perforated metallic material as for example, expanded metal of the expanded lathe type or sheet metal having apertures, passages, or slots therethrough of a screen-like or grid-like character.

This form of the invention does provide adequate protection against pets and children inadvertently falling into the well, prevents pests from entering the window well depending upon the size of the apertures in the wall 32, and prevents rain, snow or the like from falling into the well from above.

It should be here emphasized that an important feature of this invention is that by virtue of the sheet-like construction of the cover and the wall 32, these elements, together with the necessary hardware such as the hinge structure for the cover and the fastening and anchoring bolts may all be stored in a very fiat and compact unitary assemblage to facilitate transportation or compact storage of the same and the dispensing of the same as unitary assemblage across the counter of hardware stores and the like. Further, by its simple construction and ease of attachment to various types of window wells, the window well enclosure of this invention provides a very satisfactory and well adapted construction and which may be easily applied by unskilled labor and do-it-yourself 'enthusiasts.

A desirable variation of the construction as described in connection with FIGURES 1 and 2 is shown in FIG- URE 4. In this construction, the cover 34 previously described is shown as engaging the perforated or apertured side wall 32. In addition, there is shown provided a sheet of screening 60 positioned upon the interior of the side wall and overlying the perforations in the latter with the reticulated openings of the screen being of such small size as to prevent the passage of insects of any character into the interior of the well. The screening and the side Wall are both secured by the previously mentioned fasteners 38 to the upper rim of the window well retaining wall 22.

A further modified construction is illustrated in FIG- URE in which the cover 34 is shown engaging an outer wall member 70 which may be of the same construction as the member 32. However, in order to render the wall member 70 completely weatherproof as for winter use, there is provided an inside wall member 72 of a suitable transparent, translucent or other plastic to constitute a liner for the wall. In the arrangement of FIGURE 5 therefore the apertured metallic side wall of the enclosure operates as a protective means for the well while the plastic inner wall serves to close the perforations in the outer wall and thus completely protect the window well from ingress of rain, snow or the like.

As shown in FIGURE 6 it is possible to adapt and install this invention to window well constructions in which the retaining wall 22 thereof extends below the ground level 18. In an installation of this nature an adapter element in the form of a plate or strip of plastic is secured as by fastening bolts 82 to the upper portion of the rctaining wall 22 and extends above the ground level 18. The side wall 32 of the window well closure has its lower end received in and secured to the upper end of the adapter plate 80 as by fasteners 84. The cover 34 is of the construction previously described.

In the preceding discussion it has been assumed that the various structural features of the invention have been applied to a window well retaining wall of the usual sheet metal construction. Shown in FIGURE 7 is an arrangement whereby the enclosure wall 32 may be secured to a retaining wall of masonn or the like, by means of angulated mounting brackets 92 which are secured to the top surface of the masonry retaining wall as by fasteners 94 and are also secured to the side Wall 32 as by fasteners 96.

It should be understood that any of the previously described features of the invention can be applied equally to all types, shapes and configurations of retaining walls whether of the sheet metal type 22 or the masonry type 90.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A window well enclosure comprising a rigid perforated sheet material side wall wherein the perforations are greater in area than the remaining material and said wall being of a shape corresponding to that of a window well retaining wall, means securing said side wall at its lower edge to the upper edge of the retaining wall, a cover of a light transmitting sheet material, hinge means pivotally securing the upper edge of said cover to a building above said window well and said side wall, the edge of said cover overlying and extending laterally outwardly of the upper edge of said side wall, all of said perforations in said side wall located below said cover.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said side wall is composed of metal and slopes upwardly and outwardly of the upper edge of said retaining wall whereby to overhang the latter and said cover slopes downwardly and outwardly with respect to a window in the well.

3. The combination of claim 1 including a second member of solid transparent sheet material secured to the inside surface of said rigid perforated side wall.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a second member of sheet material secured to the inside surface of said rigid perforated side wall, said second member being of a light transmitting plastic.

5. The combination of claim 1 including a second member of sheet material secured to the inside surface of said rigid perforated side wall, said second member being a screen of sheet material of a mesh sufficiently fine to exclude the ingress of insects.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the securing means includes waterproofing and corrosion resistant means anchoring the lower edge of said side wall to the interior surface of the upper edge of said retaining wall, said last recited means extending slightly above the level of the ground and including manually releasable fasteners.

7. A window well enclosure as defined in claim 1 wherein the side wall has a lower extension integral therewith and deflected to extend vertically for connection to the upper edge of said retaining wall, releasable fasteners on said extension for securing it to said retaining wall.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,098 Great Britain Nov. 9, 1896 Kirkpatrick Aug. 29, 1944 OTHER REFERENCES Dobrin July 19-50 5 Plastic dome for basement window on page 165 of Krelwitz Sept. 4, 1956 1 Robey May 28, 1957 p r Smence, y 9

Druckhamer Aug. 11, 1959 

